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South African National Parks offers a variety of accommodation types and standards. Prices are dependent on
location, size of unit and quality of experience. All of our South African National Parks offer
park/camp-run accommodation. Each park/camp has its own unique selection of accommodation types.

Conserving nature since 1926

National parks offer visitors an unparalleled diversity of adventure tourism opportunities including game
viewing, bush walks, canoeing and exposure to cultural and historical experiences. Conferences can also be
organised in many of the parks. Read more...

Media Release: Rescued penguins return to the wild

Forty-six African penguins were returned to the wild earlier this week after being rescued from Bird Island in Addo Elephant National Park.

The penguins were released back to the sea in excellent condition following months of rehabilitation in two centres in the Eastern Cape.

Penguins Eastern Cape in Cape St Francis released thirty-six penguins while the South African Marine Rehabilitation Centre (SAMREC) released ten penguins back to sea. It is expected that the penguins will make their way back to colonies on Bird and St Croix Island in Algoa Bay as they have done in the past.

The juvenile penguins were rescued by helicopter off Bird Island in early June when it was found that they were underweight and suffering from exposure to extreme weather. Treatment and feeding in specialised rehabilitation centres was the only way to ensure their survival.

South African National Parks (SANParks) took the decision to airlift the birds to rehabilitation centres as part of the strategy to take special measures to ensure the survival of individuals where a species is endangered. African penguins were reclassified as endangered in 2010 following the global decline of their population.

Addo Elephant National Park rangers have introduced special measures to increase the survival of penguin chicks on the islands including monitoring the birds on a daily basis, providing artificial nest covers to shelter eggs and chicks from harsh weather and predators and removing penguins to specialised rehabilitation centres when needed.

The Algoa Bay islands managed by SANParks are now home to the world’s largest African penguin populations with 6 625 breeding pairs on St Croix Island and 3 031 breeding pairs on Bird Island.

Juvenile penguins begin their swim back home to Bird Island after being rehabilitated.